La solidaridad europea en un mundo en crisis

Jan 8, 2016 Jean-Claude Juncker

BRUSELAS – Fin de año siempre es tiempo de hacer cuentas. Mirando hacia atrás el 2015 que termina, vemos un año en el que la solidaridad europea (a riesgo de sonar demasiado dramático) superó lo que tal vez haya sido uno de sus mayores desafíos desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

La solidaridad europea estuvo gran parte del año a prueba por la crisis griega, cuyos efectos económicos y sociales aún se sienten en la eurozona y en toda la Unión Europea. Desde el inicio de 2015, las negociaciones sobre Grecia casi agotan nuestra paciencia. Se perdió mucho tiempo y mucha confianza. Se quemaron puentes. Se dijeron cosas difíciles de desdecir. Vimos a las democracias de Europa manipuladas unas contra otras.

Europa toda se asomó al abismo. Y hasta que no llegamos al borde, no retrocedimos. Al final, los miembros de la UE fueron fieles a Grecia; se hicieron compromisos, se los implementó, se los respetó; se inició un programa nuevo. La solidaridad europea prevaleció, la confianza comenzó a recuperarse. Ahora todo depende de la concreción de las reformas; la Comisión Europea sigue tomando partido por Grecia, con un nuevo Servicio de Apoyo a las Reformas Estructurales, y con la provisión de asistencia técnica en cada paso de lo que todavía será un largo viaje.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 12 Comments on this article

j. von Hettlingen Jan 11, 2016

Jean-Claude Juncker is an European of the old school, and some critics have associated him with the Europe of the 1980s and 1990s. Although he is a conservative, he embraces socialist values. In this commentary he calls Europe "the love of life. This brave continent", and this "noble people". He is determined to "live up to that reputation" that Europe is a "place perceived worldwide as being safe and just". When he says, "we will show our resilience", he has to know whether he really has everybody on board. For the moment, it doesn't seem so.
The author's main theme is "European solidarity", which he sees as "severely tested" throughout the Greek bailout and the refugee crises last year. Thanks to contentious months of negotiations between Greece and its creditors, it received its third bailout in five years. Juncker claims: "European solidarity prevailed, and trust has started to recover." That Greece remains in the Eurozone didn't come as a surprise. He was passionate in defending the single currency which he described as an "affair of the heart".
In the face of the massive influx of migrants in recent months, the crisis has put intense strain on the EU's principle of free movement, with some states building fences or reintroducing border controls . Yet Juncker will have none of it. He said Europe had only one border and the Schengen zone was "here to stay". He insisted member states all shared a responsibility to protect its external border.
As a strong advocate of a European solidarity union, the author wants deeper integration, but without a European superstate. What he has discovered in recent months is that his efforts in the past to raise living standards in the poorest regions in Eastern Europe had not been met with the same response of solidarity. Europe seems to have split into the “compassionate” west and “selfish” east. Although Brussels has ingratiated itself with Ankara to stem the flow of migrants, efforts are being made to police the Mediterranean, and "a new partnership with Africa to address the root causes of migration" had been formed, it will take years to see the results. Meanwhile the influx has not decreased in numbers.
Greece and Turkey complain about the lack of financial and human resources to effectively "identify, screen and fingerprint incoming migrants, speed up the processing of asylum-seekers, and coordinate the return of those who do not qualify." Only time can tell whether Juncker's prayer "Europe must prevail" will be heard.
Critics say Europe is facing insurmountable challenges - economically and culturally - in absorbing millions of migrants from outside the continent. It is true that "European integration is a multifaceted and often complicated affair". Juncker is optimistic that it would work, even if "we do not always get it right the first time". It is wishful thinking that "collectively, we are stronger than the challenges that confront us. Together, we will unite in the face of that which seeks to divide us". Right now fear and uncertainty prevail, and people have adopted a short-term perspective.
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Nikolas Papavlassopulos Jan 10, 2016

Jean-Claude Juncker’s “European Solidarity in a world of Crises” is a testament of the European elite’s detachment from reality.
In Italy and Greece - according to recent surveys by OBR- people want to return back to their national currencies and out of the Eurozone and in Britain the majority now wants out of the EU. And these people are not right-wing fascists.
The president of the European Commission should not forget that his “European solidarity”- in the midst of the destruction of a member state (see Greece)- rests on the “fertile” grounds of double digit unemployment, rising income and wealth inequality, poverty, corruption and the transfer of public wealth in the coffers of the elites.And the “refugees” and “terrorism” will not bring the European people together, if anything will fuel the present mess and tear them further apart.
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Margaret Bowker Jan 10, 2016

As Jean-Claude Juncker says, 2015 wasn't an easy year and 2016 will interesting too, but let's look forward on Greece. Wasn't sure about the word abyss. I'm very hopeful for the February meeting. And the new EU treaty will see its white paper this time next year, so some indications perhaps during this one, apart from the two tier system? I assume from the article that Frontex didn't get its upgrade yet. President Juncker seemed anxious, but the word perseverance was appropriate for a multi nation entity.
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Ben Had Jan 9, 2016

The good news for Greece is the recent migration to European countries will hijack all press coverage for the foreseeable future. European leaders assumed these migrants would somehow be so grateful to their new home, they would be amendable with lifestyle choices that run counter to the liberal society of European countries. Oh, not so! The struggle has begun and it will endure decades to come. But in time, these recent migrants will repopulate much of Europe with enough new voters to first gain some power, and finally majority power, for the sake of Allah.
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M M Jan 9, 2016

It is too late now to justify one’s actions, although arguably and for the biggest part of the Greek crisis, JCJ was not heading the Commission. The damage has been done and is beyond repair. Too many promises were made and they were all broken. The countries that stayed out of EZ understood the implications of being in a deficient “Union” and they have done very well economically and socially by staying out of it. Spending nearly 5 years dealing with one self-inflicting crisis and that is Greece in this case, is utter incompetence. The EU is no longer fit for purpose. If you really believe in the “EU Project” and is keen on saving it, you should start lobbying for the ECB HQ to be moved out of Frankfurt to Athens, this is the “Real Solidarity”.
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jagjeet sinha Jan 9, 2016

JCJ
Perhaps the best contribution towards Europe that you may be remembered for :
INVESTMENT EQUALIZATION
Regions - potential nations - must obtain balanced flows of Global Capital.
And if Global Capital circumvented certain regions, The European Union capital flows to be unleashed.
So that the Sum Total of Global Capital and EU Capital Inflows are equalized.
OTHERWISE, UNLIMITED MIGRATION
Because people will move to The Investment Magnets within The EU - improving personal economics.
The facilitator for Perfect Mobility is One Language - most inclusive rather than religion or race.
Since it seems One Language is impossible, then EU needs at least 30 MegaCities to absorb internal migrations.
Like China 1978. Like America 1878.

Finally, as it will take no more than three Russian tanks to overrun Europe without NATO, accept reality.
NATO Economic Community that complements NATO Security Alliance - perhaps the perfection of wisdom.
And NATO operates an Alliance with multiple currencies - no reason why Europe cannot operate with multiple currency zones.
Those who wish to operate within One currency zone with One Central Bank - may proceed to fiscal and monetary union.
Monetary Union without fiscal transfers and union is meaningless.
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Stamatis Kavvadias Jan 8, 2016

I hear no self-criticism, no mistakes admitted, no appreciation of global and popular criticism for EU and EZ founding treaties and legal, monetary and political structure.

No political decision-making formulation to replace the ridiculous perpetuation of eurogroup and summit-after-summit, to handle the lack of lender of last resort, nor any thoughts to create a EZ fiscal authority, or complete the EZ banking union.

From one crisis to the next, fixing nothing, on a perpetual ad hoc EU "politics" without the peoples, the status quo wishes you a new year, with ...love!
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M M Jan 8, 2016

JCJ, it is time for the current EU leadership to accept that they have failed and failed miserably and that time has come for a new generation of leaders. If you are really sincere about saving and keeping the EU together, you should be the first one to set the right example by doing the honorable thing.
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MK Anon Jan 8, 2016

To be a bit more complete, it would be interesting to have the author develop the issue of European solidarity in regards to the tax rulings made by public official of the luxemburg executive, i.e. directly under his responsibility? It helped the largest of the world corporation such as apple, skype, microsoft, amazon, to avoid taxes in other EU countries and pay extremely small amount in Luxemburg? Is it “Thy your neighboors' or was it to express solidarity to Jeff Bezos, Bill Gate and large shareholders around the world?
Thanks for teaching us morality and solidarity, we take the lesson. Now I hope Junker (tax rulings), Arias Cañete (climate with large family interest in oil), Draghi (ECB and ex EU director of goldmansachs) and all the plutocrats there are aware of their responsability in poeple's “populist” votes.
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Walter Gingery Jan 8, 2016

M. Juncker may have an abiding faith in Europe, but what of younger citizens?

What do he and his generation have to offer to inspire further integration? What are they willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it? At this showing, the answer is clear: "Not much."
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hari naidu Jan 8, 2016

Juncker - If Poland/Hungary/Czech/Slovakia do not support you or you policy of solidarity, is it because Tusk is in their camp (also)?
How can you work across the EU policy-making Council Summit deliberations without complete transparency & integrity of the political process?
Finally, is it true that Berlin has successfully neutralized EP & Commission in favor of Council (Tusk)?
Bottom line, as in time of Delors, enforce policy compliance and implementation with the risk of losing structural funds and other goodies - in the EU budget - for those leaders who challenge principle of EU solidarity.
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Steve Hurst Jan 8, 2016

'I may sound like a broken record' J-C J
You have broken records, no doubt about that
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